May is Frankie Month and Lindy Hoppers worldwide will be celebrating this very special man. We’ll be doing so at Uptown Swing this Saturday, May 16. There isn’t a better example than Frankie Manning to remind us of the joy and fun we have dancing!
Frankie was dancing back in the heyday of the Savoy Ballroom with bandleaders such as Chick Webb, Count Basie, Duke Ellington, Jimmie Lunceford and Lionel Hampton. Can you imagine dancing to their bands in person? We can’t make that happen, however, we’ll be honoring Frankie by dancing to his favorites with tunes provided by Guest DJs Dang Mai, Andrew Selzer and Paul Loschak!
Both a Newton and Boston Hop to the Beat class has been working on a new Lindy Hop/Solo Jazz routine and will be performing at the dance! Please come out to cheer them on!
Of course the night would not be complete without a Shim Sham, Frankie style! If you’ve been wanting to learn the Shim Sham or need to brush up on the steps, we’ll be doing it at the lesson before the dance.
Participate in the Frankie Foundation’s #iamFrankieManning photo project. We’ll be recreating a classic Frankie pose with a group picture at the dance.
Proceeds from this dance will be contributed to the Beantown Scholarship Program to help bring previous Frankie Foundation ambassadors back to Beantown. The Ambassador Program was established to support the growth and development of new ambassadors of Lindy Hop and to carry on Frankie’s legacy. Camp registrations are free of charge, however, funds are needed to cover housing, meals and travel.
The atmosphere at the dance is relaxed and friendly and all experience levels are very welcome to attend! There will be a beginner lesson at the start of the evening. It will be a little shorter than usual so that we can also go over the Shim Sham.
Beginners welcome, no partner needed
Location: KI (Kehillath Israel), 384 Harvard Street, Brookline, MA 02446 (entrance on Williams Street)
Band: Solomon Douglas Heptet
Guest DJs: Dang Mai, Andrew Selzer, Paul Loschak
Date: Saturday, May 16, 2015
Time: 8:15pm-12:00am
Swing Lesson: 8:45-9:15pm
Shim Sham Lesson: 8:15-8:45pm
Performance: Hop to the Beat
Extras: Group Frankie Photo
Fundraiser: Beantown Scholarship Program
Admission: $12 ($8 with Student ID)
For a little taste of Frankie, check out this video invitation to last year’s Frankie 100 celebration in NYC. Over 2000 Lindy Hoppers attended from 47 countries!
Join the Facebook dance event.